15" tires

[chopthebass]

I can't find any info on speed rating on 15" tires, but here's my concern..

I prefer the look of the 15's with the taller rubber wall, but the only tires I have managed to find are BF Goodrich T/A. These have a speed rating of 'S' which is 112mph. Its unlikely I will go over that speed, but it just seems low compared to the V or W ratings of eg. 17" Nittos.

Cheers
Ian

[DARKPT]

Cooper Cobra Radials are 119mph. The number is a sustained speed rating at that speed at proper inflation with some sort of safety margin, so not much of a real limit for most of us. :)

[68GT500MAN]

15" tires are not being supported as much as the newer 17" and larger sizes. If you want performance tires you will probably need to go with the 17" size, if you want the "look" of the 60's there are not many choices in the 15" size.
Doug

[edwardb]

15 inch tires are tough. Even 17 inch tires are getting more limited as the market keeps going up in size, especially for performance tires. Additionally, don't overlook the brake situation for 15 inch wheels. Again, you will have far fewer options. You pay a pretty steep price all around for that extra bit of tire showing, even though I agree it does look pretty cool.

[chopthebass]

I would like to do the brake upgrade. So I guess that means 17's then.

I'm not sure how good stock brakes with 11.65" rear discs will be. One view is that they are going on a car that weighs less than the Mustang, and another view is that the stock brakes are pretty horrible!

I really do want strong brakes to go with my 560 hp! Thanks guys.

[Gumball]

I'm going down from the 13" front brake set-up to the smaller ones so that I can convert from 17" to 15" wheels... before I've done anything more than go-kart. My plan is to use the Avon CR6ZZ tires - they're radials, but have the tread looks of an old bias-ply and with a sticky treadwear rating fo 80. Not cheap, though, at around $370 and $470 (front/rear) USD each.

[CraigS]

Here is another possible 15 inch tire. 26x10s on the front and 26x12 on the rear.
http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/street.php?item=SportsmanSR
RE brakes. make sure you order the FFR Wilwood balance adjustable dual MC setup. Standard front calipers are fine. Mustang Cobra rears will give enough braking but I can't confirm if they fit in the 15s. If you can find larger rear calipers that would be even better. The #1 key to this is the pads. I have experience w/ Hawk HPS in the front and HP+ in the rear. This gives me pretty good brakes, definately lockable w/ some effort, but I would like a little more rear brake to reduce the effort to closer to power brakes. Others have had good results w/ Carbotech and EBC pads. The #2 key is getting enough rear brake which is a lot more than the mustang had. That is why I run different pads front and rear. I forget if you are doing IRS or not. If you are Forte has a nice Wilwood rear brake setup and probably has others. Levy also has some Wilwoods that he has specifically said are for 15s.
All the above is what info I can remember re: your desire to run 15s. OTOH, I wouldn't. 17s allow many, many more brake and tire options.

[OVCobra]

15" definitely look more "period correct" but as noted limit brake options. Brake upgrades dictate larger wheels but again as noted, the selection of 17" tires is limited (Goodyear, Vredestein, Nitto, Kumho & Sumitomo, others for drag/race applications) especially if you opt for 315/35/17 for the rear. If you are heading this direction, consider 18" to improve tire options...the look will deviate from original but performance will improve.

Dave